Man United Injury Updates: Shaw, Baleba, Amad, De Ligt, and Ugarte
Manchester United walked away from their Carabao Cup exit to Brighton & Hove Albion with more than just bruised pride. The squad still looks thin. Six senior players remain sidelined, and only one of them has a realistic chance of featuring before the international break ends.
That one is Luke Shaw.
The left-back, who started United’s first three Premier League games, has missed the last week with a thigh problem. He watched from the stands at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, a reminder of what Michael Carrick is missing on the pitch.
Before the Brighton tie, Carrick had dangled a hint of optimism. “He could possibly be fit for Brighton, it's not clear-cut. But it's a matter of a few days rather than anything else,” he said. The fact Shaw didn’t make it suggests Fulham away on Sunday is now the more realistic target.
If Shaw is passed fit, Patrick Dorgu, rested in midweek and left out of the squad, is likely to make way again. United need Shaw’s balance, leadership and left-footed threat. They need him quickly.
Amad: pre-season promise, then a frustrating pause
Amad’s summer ended with momentum. He featured in United’s final four friendlies, looked sharp, and then, right at the end of pre-season, it went wrong.
A niggle in the final days of training has kept the Ivory Coast winger out of all six competitive games so far. He hasn’t kicked a ball in anger this season.
Carrick’s update on Tuesday hinted at patience rather than panic. “Amad, not quite close in terms of days, but we'll see as the week progresses,” he said.
The winger didn’t make the Brighton squad. Now the clock ticks towards Fulham. Five days on from those comments, he remains a doubt. If he doesn’t make it to Craven Cottage, the expectation is simple: his season should finally start after the international break.
United need another wide option. Amad is waiting to provide it.
Carlos Baleba: edging back towards action
Carlos Baleba has yet to play a competitive minute for United since his summer arrival. His first weeks at the club were spent in the treatment room, nursing an ankle ligament injury picked up in pre-season.
There is at least some good news here. The midfielder has stepped up his rehabilitation and is closing in on a return.
Speaking before facing Baleba’s former club Brighton, Carrick outlined the plan. “He'll be back in and around the group at some point over the next week or so,” he said. “So that means after international, he should be in good shape. Carlos came being injured, and then he's desperate to get out there and be part of the group and training fully with the boys.”
The message is clear: Fulham is likely to come too soon, but once the international window closes, Baleba should finally join the midfield battle properly.
Matthijs de Ligt: nearly a year out, caution the watchword
Matthijs de Ligt’s absence has almost slipped into the background, simply because it has gone on for so long.
It is now ten-and-a-half months since he last played for United, back in late November, before a back injury and subsequent surgery halted his season. The Dutch defender returned to training with his team-mates around five-and-a-half weeks ago, but training and playing are very different things.
Carrick is refusing to be pinned down on dates. “Matta's just working his way back, really, so because of the time frame and how it's been, I don't really want to put too much time frame on it,” he said on Tuesday.
What is certain is this: De Ligt will not be back before the upcoming international break. His target lies beyond that, somewhere in the following month, as United try to manage both his fitness and their defensive fragility.
Manuel Ugarte: the long haul
Manuel Ugarte is the one United know they will have to live without for a while yet.
The Uruguay midfielder suffered a knee ligament injury at the World Cup in the summer and underwent surgery in mid-July. Since then, his world has shrunk to Carrington, the medical staff, and the long grind of rehabilitation.
United’s most recent official update described the operation as a success but warned of “a long path to a full recovery” and confirmed he is “currently progressing”.
The club expect him to be out for the long term and he is almost certain not to play again before the end of 2026. There is a sliver of hope that he could return before the end of this season, but that depends entirely on how his rehab unfolds. For now, Ugarte’s battle is against time, not opponents.
Tom Heaton: veteran keeper still sidelined
Tom Heaton’s injury flew under the radar in pre-season. It still matters.
The veteran goalkeeper pulled up with a hamstring problem in the friendly against Paris Saint-Germain and has not been available since. Had he been fit, he would almost certainly have been on the bench against Brighton.
Instead, Senne Lammens took the reserve spot as Karl Darlow made his debut. Dermot Mee was also drafted into the Champions League matchday squad against Sabah last week, with Heaton again missing.
For a club that has leaned on experienced back-up keepers for years, his absence has forced a reshuffle behind the No.1.
Shaw may return on Sunday. Baleba should be back in the fold once the international break passes. Amad waits for his first chance of the campaign. Behind them, De Ligt and Ugarte work through the slow, unforgiving stages of recovery, while Heaton looks to rejoin the goalkeeping group.
United’s season is only just beginning to take shape. The real question is how different this team will look once all of them are finally back on the pitch.
